Connected car. Photo: Via Satellite

Globalstar has launched Globalstar Automotive, a newly formed division to support future connected and autonomous vehicles and intelligent transport. With more than 600 million connected vehicles expected to be on the road by 2025 and with the market for automotive connectivity projected to increase to $103 billion by 2030, Globalstar seeks to leverage its two-way global and broadcast capable network to assist automakers to comply with the latest safety regulations, deliver Over-the-Air (OTA) software updates, increase location accuracy and improve reliability for autonomous vehicle operation.

Greg Ewert has joined the company, reporting to Dave Kagan, president and COO at Globalstar. Ewert will lead the company’s automotive initiatives. Additionally, Ewert serves on the Connected Vehicle Trade Association (CVTA) board.

To date, embedded connectivity within connected cars has primarily been used for in-vehicle infotainment, Wi-Fi and safety services. Some progressive automakers have begun delivering OTA software updates using cellular and Wi-Fi and are now looking to satellite to help address the growing demand to cost-efficiently deliver updates. As the connected car market matures and autonomous vehicles proliferate, the requirement for connectivity that is always available, invulnerable to the elements, and capable of establishing a two-way channel with the vehicle for delivery of software and firmware critical to the vehicle’s operations is of paramount importance.